Lenovo Yoga 910 vs Apple MacBook Pro

Laptops compared on specs and price.

The PC market may be in a continuing slide, but Apple and Lenovo are still finding growth in the market. At least during the final three months of 2016, Lenovo reported a 2 percent gain in its PC business year-over-year, while Apple's Mac line grew 7.4 percent. Products that have been crucial to the growth are laptops in Lenovo's Yoga line, including the new flagship, the Yoga 910, and Apple's recently overhauled MacBook Pro. But which of the two laptops would be the better fit for you? We compare Lenovo's Yoga 910 vs. Apple's new MacBook Pro on specs and price.

First Things First

There are a few obvious differences to mention upfront. The Yoga 910 is a touchscreen convertible, featuring the signature 360-degree Yoga hinge. That allows the display to fold all the way back for use as a tablet, or in stand or tent mode. Apple's new MacBook Pro does have some touch capabilities, but not on the display. Instead, the laptop's Touch Bar, a touch-sensitive strip that's located in place of the function row of keys, provides controls that adapt to whatever app is being used.

While the Yoga 910 has one standard model (with different configurations on specs available), the new MacBook Pro comes in three distinct models: a 15-inch version with the Touch Bar; a 13-inch Touch Bar model; and a 13-inch version without the Touch Bar.

Another difference, of course, is the operating system of each laptop: The Yoga 910 runs Windows 10, while the MacBook Pro runs macOS Sierra.

Display

Apple's Retina display has lots of fans, but if you're looking for the maximum number of pixels, Lenovo's Yoga 910 actually has more to offer. The laptop is available with a UHD (3840x2160) display option, which beats out the highest-available resolution on the new MacBook Pro. The displays on the MacBook Pro models are 2880x1800 resolution for the 15-inch version, and 2560x1600 for both of the 13-inch versions.

As far as display size, the Yoga 910 falls in between the two sizes of the MacBook Pro, at 13.9 inches. The Yoga 910 also offers an FHD (1920x1080) model in addition to the UHD version.

The Yoga 910 and MacBook Pro both leverage IPS technology in their respective LCD displays, which helps enable better colours and viewing angles.

Thickness And Weight

One area of focus for Apple in revamping the MacBook Pro was improving the laptop's portability. The result? Both versions of the 13-inch MacBook Pro are 1.49cm thick, while the 15-inch version measures 1.54cm. Meanwhile, on weight, the 13-inch models are 1.36kg, while the 15-inch MacBook Pro weighs 1.82kg.

Unfortunately for Apple, Lenovo's Yoga 910 is still thinner, with a thickness of 1.42cm. And even with a larger screen than the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the Yoga 910 is roughly the same weight, at 1.37kg.

Processor

The Yoga 910 features a more-recent CPU than the MacBook Pro: Intel's seventh-generation Core i (Kaby Lake), rather than the sixth-gen variety (Skylake). Apparently, Apple's work on the new MacBook Pro didn't sync up with Intel's schedule for Kaby Lake. The Yoga 910 comes with one processor option, the Core i7-7500U, which is dual-core.

Still, while the MacBook Pro processors are a generation old, they're still really fast. Especially on the 15-inch model: the laptop features Intel's powerful HQ series of quad-core processors, with options that include the i7-6700HQ and the i7-6920HQ. Meanwhile, the 13-inch Touch Bar model features a choice of speedy dual-core i5 processors in the U-series (configurable up to Core i7), while the 13-inch non-touch version features a slower Core i5 U-series processor.

Battery Life

While users of the new MacBook Pro have reported widely varying results on battery life, Apple promises 10 hours for both the 13- and 15-inch models. That's just a bit above the nine hours of battery life that Lenovo promises for the Yoga 910. But in reports of real-world tests (including our own), the Yoga 910 has shown some strong results on battery life. That suggests that many users may just find the Yoga 910 to be superior on battery life to the MacBook Pro. Notably, Lenovo has included a larger battery (78Whr) in the Yoga 910 than what's featured in the MacBook Pro (76Whr for the 15-inch model, 49.2Whr for the 13-inch Touch Bar version), even though the Yoga 910 is a thinner machine.

Ports

Another controversy for the new MacBook Pro has involved the lack of port options. The laptop relies entirely on Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C), while all other types of connections, such as USB-A, require a converter. The laptop also doesn't include a slot for an SD card, traditionally a popular feature with photographers. The Touch Bar versions of the MacBook Pro both include four USB-C ports, while the 13-inch non-Touch Bar version has two.

The Yoga 910 has a bit more variety on ports, but not much. The laptop includes two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, but no SD card. In addition, it's worth noting that the USB-C ports on the Yoga 910 do not support Thunderbolt 3 (which offers such benefits as speedy data transfers).

Memory And Storage

While 8GB of RAM is standard for the 13-inch MacBook Pro versions, both can be boosted to 16GB. The 15-inch MacBook Pro comes with 16GB of RAM.

For storage, all three versions of the MacBook Pro start at 256GB of storage but can be configured with 512GB or 1TB.

For the Yoga 910, the RAM options are 8GB or 16GB, and the storage options are 256GB or 1TB.

Price

Neither the Lenovo Yoga 910 nor the new Apple MacBook Pro come cheap. But the price tag on the MacBook Pro is at the higher end of the spectrum than the Yoga 910.

For one comparison, take the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar that's configured with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, versus a Yoga 910 with the same storage and RAM. That MacBook Pro will cost $2699, while the Yoga 910 (with FHD display) will be $1999. Even that Yoga 910 configuration with UHD display will be much cheaper, at $2199. And keep in mind, the Yoga 910 has a full touch screen display and a 360-degree hinge, neither of which you'll find on the MacBook Pro.

Even the non-Touch Bar version of the 13-inch MacBook Pro has a significantly higher starting price than the UHD version of the Yoga 910, at $2199 (and a slower processor, too). Meanwhile, to snag the newest 15-inch MacBook Pro, the starting price is $3599.

There are plenty of good reasons to go for the new MacBook Pro (fast processors, the Retina display, the Touch Bar, and the fantastic Apple trackpad) but the price tag is not one of them. If you want to feel like you're getting a pretty good deal on premium specs, you may find yourself leaning toward the Yoga 910.

Laptop Showdown

The PC market may be in a continuing slide, but Apple and Lenovo are still finding growth in the market. At least during the final three months of 2016, Lenovo reported a 2 percent gain in its PC business year-over-year, while Apple's Mac line grew 7.4 percent. Products that have been crucial to the growth are laptops in Lenovo's Yoga line, including the new flagship, the Yoga 910, and Apple's recently overhauled MacBook Pro. But which of the two laptops would be the better fit for you? We compare Lenovo's Yoga 910 vs. Apple's new MacBook Pro on specs and price.

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